Pure Dynamite (29 page)

Nevin swore. "I'll have one here by nightfall."

That Nevin didn't know who was providing a car surprised Adam. Willy had usurped Nevin by bringing in Calvin to move them, then Nevin had shown up unannounced and kept his own man posted outside. What was going on? Obviously the McEdwins weren't working in unison.

Adam tugged Renata back into the kitchen. He knew she was disappointed, but he hoped she'd remember to be more circumspect in the future. With someone watching they both had to.

And when the time came to free her, Adam would have to be even more careful to ensure she got away safely.

They remained inside the rest of the day, watching television in the living room until late.

Renata knew Adam felt as restless as she did, his eyes drifting frequently toward the bedroom where Nevin and Lyle stayed.

She was grateful the McEdwins remained in the other room. Both brothers made her uncomfortable.

She read through the stack of newspapers that had been left with the supplies, hoping to catch a hint of what the police were doing to apprehend them. She also hoped to read some news about her family's reaction to her abduction.

While the papers shed little light on her family, she did learn a more complete history of the McEdwins.

Willy, the patriarch, had been a decorated Vietnam veteran who worked with explosives during two tours in Southeast Asia. After his discharge, he returned to his Missouri hometown, married his high-school sweetheart, and settled down on the family farm.

Within four years, he filed for bankruptcy and lost everything to repossession and foreclosure. One article blamed Willy's failure on economics. A lot of Midwesterners lost farms at the same time and felt stung by a government that had urged them into debt but did nothing to protect crop and livestock prices.

In retaliation, some displaced farmers joined antigovernment groups. Willy fell in with a paramilitary outfit whose leader touted a plan to take control away from the federal government and return it to the individual states. With his prior combat experience, Willy rapidly rose through the organization's ranks, simultaneously increasing his visibility within federal law enforcement circles.

Renata closed her eyes after reading about Willy's wife, who had died when two crooked policemen rigged a bomb at the McEdwin home—a bomb that had been meant for Willy. Their reason for targeting him was widely speculated but remained unclear as both officers died on a subsequent assignment.

Lyle, who had only been a few months old at the
time, had nearly been killed along with his mother. The report said she had literally tossed him out of harm's way seconds before the blast went off. A maternal aunt raised Lyle while Willy was wrongly imprisoned for his wife's murder.

The newspapers also covered each of the bombings attributed to the McEdwins. At first the explosions at various federal facilities appeared to be strikes against government in general: FBI, Department of Justice, U.S. Marshal. Until they noticed that many of the key people involved in Willy's trial had died. The judge, the federal prosecutors, the Marshal who arrested him. Even the warden. While they were the primary targets, a lot of innocent bystanders were killed as well.

Jim Acton had been one of the McEdwins' many victims.

She heard the cell phone ring in Lyle's room. Adam lowered the volume of the television and moved to sit beside her on the couch, shoving the papers to the floor to make room.

She knew he'd moved closer to eavesdrop, but still her pulse jumped. Then he threw an arm around her shoulder. Renata's first instinct was to move away. Then she recalled her resolve to soften Adam and forced herself to relax.

A few minutes later, Nevin walked out of the bedroom and dropped into the chair Adam had vacated.

"That was the old man. He's working on the transportation issue." He looked at Renata. "He also wants to know if you need any other supplies to care for my brother, princess."

She kept her features neutral, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing the endearment irritated her. That everything about him irritated her.

Adam hugged her, his arm uncomfortably close to
her breast. Once again she struggled with the desire to shove him away, settled for shooting him a dirty look. His embrace was nothing more than a statement of ownership.
Play along,
she reminded herself.

"The supplies I have are adequate," she said. "If he doesn't respond to these antibiotics soon, he'll need to go to a hospital—"

Nevin's easy-going demeanor vanished, his voice cold and harsh. "Yeah, well, if he doesn't respond soon, he won't be the only one needing a hospital."

Adam stood, cutting Nevin off by tugging Renata to her feet. "We're going to bed."

But instead of going to the bedroom, he steered her toward the bathroom. "Do you need a minute before we take a shower?"

Her face grew warm at the word
we.
A vision of him naked flashed through her mind.

"Let me shower alone," she began.

"No way."

Before she could protest, he leaned close, snaking his arm behind her. Opening the door, he forced her inside.

She put her hands on her hips. "Look, you—"

"No, you look." He lowered his voice. "Don't push Nevin."

"How can telling him the truth about his brother be construed as pushing?"

"They've made it clear they have no intention of taking Lyle to a hospital. Repeatedly bringing the subject up just pisses them off."

"And you think that bothers me? Maybe I like pissing them off."

He edged closer. "It bothers me. But I suppose you like pissing me off, too."

She opened her mouth to say more, then closed it.

Which annoyed Adam even more. He preferred to know her thoughts. He understood her frustration at the McEdwins' refusal to heed her medical advice. It went against every tenet she held.

"Let me check your ankle." He indicated she should sit on the edge of the tub.

Instead of moving to the tub, Renata leaned against the counter.

Choose your battles.
Adam dropped to one knee and picked up her foot. Removing the bandage, he examined it, cupping her heel in his hand before gently massaging the ball of her injured foot. "The swelling's gone down. How's it feel?"

"Better. But you don't have to do that."

"I know." He rubbed her foot a few more seconds then set it down and straightened. "After we shower, I'll wrap it again."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I... can't do this."

"You already did once. And you're still safe, Renata. Trust me."

He grasped the bottom edge of her T-shirt. He could guess why she wore two shirts, and with the McEdwin brothers around, he didn't blame her.

But they were alone now and Adam had been looking forward to this moment all day: their shower . . . where he'd get a glimpse of her naked. And once they were in bed fully clothed he could hold her, under the guise of keeping her captive.

He didn't try to gloss it over. Forcing her to shower and sleep with him were guilty, wicked, pleasures. Like recalling what it had been like to kiss her. Or remembering the feel of her body when he'd searched her for weapons. Or held her in his arms as she slept.
And dreamed about making love to her.

"Then just let me check your side. Make sure it's not getting infected" he whispered.

"It's not. It's fine."

"If that's true, then it won't hurt for me to look." He lifted her shirt a few inches. "Can you raise your arm a bit more so I can loosen the bandage?"

She let out a noisy sigh as she gave him freer access.

His fingers lightly pressed on her skin as he examined her scraped side. "Uh-oh. You better take a look."

Concerned, she straightened and turned toward the mirror. "Is it showing signs of infection?"

The second she moved, Adam tugged the shirts up and off her head.

She crisscrossed her arms over her breasts. "Trust you? Right! That was a dirty trick."

"But effective. We're going to take a shower. The only question is: Do I take your clothes off or do you?"

She raised her chin. "That's not a choice."

Adam nodded toward the living room. "I've already explained that it's important to keep up certain appearances in front of them. So let's get on with it."

Stepping back, he ignored her and stripped off his shirt, tossed it to the floor. He unfastened the top button of his jeans, then paused. "Do you need help?"

"No!" Renata squared her shoulders, told herself that showering with him would be easier since they'd already done it once. And he hadn't gawked or made any wrong advances the last time. Which made the process no easier to contemplate. Still, if she were going to end up naked regardless, she'd prefer it was by her own hand.

He turned away and adjusted the water, then finished removing his jeans. She stared at his buttocks for a long time before realizing he was trying to shield his groin from her. Her face flamed as she realized she
had been trying hard to see
it.
What was wrong with her? Why was she so ... eager to see him again?

He half-turned lifting her into the tub before climbing in right behind her and promptly turning his back.

She grabbed the bottle of shampoo, squeezed it hard. She'd seen lots of naked men, viewed their bodies with clinical detachment. A detachment that was wholly absent right now.

She scrubbed her hair and rinsed before looking behind her. Adam patiently waited for a turn beneath the spray. Keeping her back to him, she traded places.

Twice, she peeked over her shoulder. The first time was quick. He had his back to her as he soaped his arms. The second time he was shampooing his hair.

She stared as his long fingers worked through his thick, dark mane. Rivulets of soap ran from his nape, down the indentation of his spine to swirl near the two dimples just above his buttocks. The soapy line curled along the crevice between his cheeks before disappearing.

She blinked mesmerized.

Then Adam turned toward her. Fully. She gasped. But he didn't move.

Neither did she.

She let her eyes drift over him. Over his chest. His abs. And lower ... His erection was enormous, sticking straight out from his body, the head gleaming with water droplets. It was frightening and fascinating at the same time.